DEAR friends,
First of all, I, as a co-secretary of Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Committee for "Gathering 2017-Praise to the Great Persons of Mt Paektu” and on behalf of APRPC, would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Indonesian Preparatory Committee for its disinterested efforts to host the E-seminar of the region, and also to those organizations and individuals in the region for their valuable presentations to the seminar.
As fully presented in the last seminar which was held on January 8, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of HE KIM JONG UN, supreme leader of the Korean people, this year is very meaningful year to all the Korean people. In fact, it is indispensable to think about Korea today apart from the great leaders of Korea, a country which is shining as an independent power and bulwark of socialism, serving as the beacon of hope for the world’s progressive peoples, developed into the ideo-political and military power which challenges the aggressive and hostile policies of the super powers at their will.
This seminar, a platform to praise the immortal exploits of the great leaders of Korea, again provides a chance for me to look back upon the life of President Kim IL SUNG who accomplished the undying exploits for the history of humankind with his outstanding ideology and theory and revolutionary practice.
KIM IL SUNG was born into a poor farmer’s family in Korea which was under the military occupation by the Japanese imperialists (1905-1945). He embarked on the road of revolutionary struggle in his early teens, determined to save the destiny of the country and people. In the course of blazing the trail of the revolution he created the Juche and Songun idea, which brilliantly implemented in the whole period of his revolutionary career spanning 70 years. The Juche and Songun idea proved their truthfulness and vitality to the full, thus becoming the great guiding ideas in realizing independence of the masses and the valuable spiritual wealth common to humankind.
President KIM IL SUNG was an outstanding leader who established the social system centered on the masses of the people in the DPRK and set an example in accomplishing the cause of independence for humankind.
He organized and waged the 15-year-long anti-Japanese armed struggle and achieved Korea’s liberation (August 15, 1945). After the liberation he founded the Worker’s Party of Korea (October 10, 1945), successfully carried out the anti-imperialist, anti-feudal democratic revolution, and, on this basis, founded the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (September 9, 1948). He led the Korean People to a great victory in the Fatherland Liberation War, (Korea war (1950-1953), thereby defending the country’s sovereignty and dignity from the aggression by the US-led imperialist allied forces. He successfully conducted postwar rehabilitation, socialist revolution and the construction of socialism over several stages, consolidating the DPRK into a people-centered socialist power, independent in politics, self-sufficient in economy and self-reliant in national defense.
The President performed great exploits in realizing the cause of reunification of a divided Korea. He put forward comprehensive and objective proposals for the country’s reunification, such as the three principles of national reunification, the proposal for founding a Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo, and the 10-point program for the great unity of the whole nation. He also wisely led the reunification movement, thus ushering in a bright prospect for the Korean reunification.
The President made great contribution to the cause of world independence by advancing the slogan, “Peoples of the world who advocate independence, unite!” He rendered sincere assistance to the countries struggling for national liberation and independence and energetically proclaimed that both the socialist and non ��"aligned movements should hold fast to their ideals and principles against the hostile forces of imperialism.
KIM IL SUNG was the incarnation of benevolence. No one in the world valued people and loved them like him. Everybody who met the President was greatly enchanted by his personality and worshiped him. German writer Luiser Rinzer, a very devout Catholic, praised the President was a godlike man whether he liked it or not. Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States, stated that President KIM IL SUNG was greater than George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, the most illustrious early US presidents, all combined.
KIM IL SUNG was, indeed, the most outstanding leader, peerlessly great person, and great saint of humankind, representative of the 20th century.
Though he passed away, his ideology and cause are being carried forward brilliantly.
The Korean people preserve him in his lifetime appearance and hold him in high esteem as the eternal President of the DPRK. They keep the Juche and Songun idea he authored as their unchanging guiding ideas, and cherish it as their unshakable faith and will to follow the road of independence, road of Songun and road of socialism he pioneered.
In the closing years of the last century the cause of socialism in the DPRK was confronted with huge challenges caused by the great national loss over the sudden death of the President, collapse of socialism in several countries and subsequent anti-DPRK stifling offensives by the imperialist allied forces, and natural disasters that hit the country for consecutive years. However, the Korean people held higher the banner of Songun and united as one stood firm against the confrontation of US and world imperialism, defending firmly their socialist system. They further provided a springboard for attaining a gigantic goal of building a thriving socialist nation as the President had wished. Since then miraculous events have taken place as a result of the Korean people’s efforts and dedication of building a thriving socialist country.
The DPRK has now joined the ranks of those countries that are capable of manufacturing artificial satellites with the technology to launch them into space and has become a nuclear state for peaceful purposes which are acknowledge by the world.
In the course of implementing the lines and proposals of Korea’s independent reunification President Kim IL Sung advanced the June 15 reunification era under the banner of “By Our Nation Itself” thus opening a radical phase in the Korean reunification movement. The DPRK, in its efforts to realize the cause of global independence clarified by him, has greatly contributed to the worldwide socialist reconstruction movement and its new upsurge, and accomplishment of the anti-imperialist independent cause of the world.
Availing myself of this opportunity, I would like to emphasize once again that it is the Korean people blessed with having the great leaders and their leadership, which has enable them to vigorously advance along the road opted for themselves unvaryingly even amidst the turmoil of world politics. Today, Korea is achieving miraculous victories in their struggle to build a powerful socialist nation as it holds one another great person in highest esteem, which is exactly same as President KIM IL SUNG and General KIM JONG IL.
Remaining assured that the future of Korea will be ever prosperous as it is led by H.E. KIM JONG UN, I would like to appeal to everyone concerned to make further efforts to adorn the international festival in August more colorfully. ***
Raymond Ferguson
National Secretary, Australia-DPRK Friendship and Cultural Society, Co-secretary, Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Committee for “Gathering 2017-Praise to the Great Persons of Mt Paektu”
Co-secretary, Oceania Preparatory Committee for “Gathering 2017-Praise to the Great Persons of Mt Paektu”
